No More
by Janiqua
Summary: Prequel to The Day of the Doctor (50th Anniversary). Some spoilers. As the Time War rages, the Warrior realizes he has had enough.


Loved _The Day of the Doctor_, but thought it needed some more build-up, so… SPOILERS!

**ooooooo**

"_There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you…"_

The Master's words, spoken lifetimes ago, weighed heavily in the Warrior's mind.

"_The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation…"_

Well… after all this… should he happen to survive another three regenerations, the darker sides of his nature would almost certainly surpass the Master's wildest expectations.

But it would not come to that. The Warrior would never survive the war. In fact… who could? Davros himself had perished in the jaws of the Nightmare Child during that first year, at the Gates of Elysium, right as the conflict began spiraling into madness.

Back then, the Doctor had still believed in that old, ancient promise. Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up; never give in. He had even tried to rescue Davros, much to everyone's consternation. It would turn him into a traitor, but so what?

In their desperation, the Gallifreyans had gone so far as to restore Rassilon himself back to power while Romana was made a scapegoat. And under Rassilon's vile command, forbidden weapons from the Omega Arsenal were utilized, one by one, causing such collateral damage that the Gallifreyans soon became less tolerable to the universe than even the Daleks. How could the Doctor remain loyal to them? And so, disgusted and ashamed, he tried turning a blind eye to the war. But, despite all his efforts, he could not stop his ears from hearing of the atrocities that followed.

Shortly after their victory at the Gates of Elysium, the Gallifreyans suffered a major loss when the Dalek Emperor captured the Cruciform. Then came the Skaro Degradations… and the Horde of Travesties…

"_The universe stands on the brink,"_ Ohila warned him one fateful night on Karn. _"Will you let it fall?"_

The time had come to face the truth.

"_I don't suppose there's a need for a Doctor anymore. Make me a Warrior now."_

From then on, things would never be the same. No going back. So be it. The Oncoming Storm would strike with a ferocity that caught all parties off guard. Like fire. Like ice. Like rage.

Unprecedented fury.

But even then… a part of him held back. A part of him sought reconciliation with his people. If they could but see his strength and resolve, would they not follow his command? With their cooperation, he could win the war for them, rid Gallifrey of Rassilon forever, and restore Romana to the presidency. Wouldn't that be preferable?

Of course, but the Time Lords would not hear of it. To them, the Warrior was a fool, a madman, and a hindrance. Rassilon had his own plan, with nearly the entire high council's support. Should all else fail, they would rupture the Time Vortex and ascend to a higher plane of existence, where they could survive free from all physical and temporal limitations. Rassilon called it the Final, Ultimate Sanction.

They had been preparing for it since losing the Cruciform. No wonder Ohila had feared the end of the universe. They were facing the end of time. Should the high council go through with Rassilon's plan… everything would be destroyed. Everything. That is, except the Time Lords themselves.

Already the Warrior could detect traces of their tampering. He uncovered startling evidence that the soldiers fighting on the front lines, both Daleks and Gallifreyans alike, were caught in a devastating cycle of life and death. As they killed each other, time itself would resurrect them, only so they could kill each other all over again. They would never know peace. Not like this.

In the midst of all that chaos, the Could-Have-Been King and his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres emerged from the shadows, and their contributions to the bloodshed were unspeakable. Only one word could describe the horrors of the Time War.

Hell.

The Warrior's entire reality had turned into hell.

And it filled him with despair.

No more.

There could be no more of this. It had to be stopped. For the sake of all creation. If it cost the lives of everyone involved, to spare those yet unscathed, it had to be stopped. He could end it, too. In a single moment. Wielding the Moment. He could end it…

No more…

"_Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro, I serve notice on you all… Too long I have stayed my hand… No more… Today you leave me no choice… Today, this war will end…"_

No more.

**ooooooo**


End file.
